About Adrienne
Writer, teacher & podcaster
Adrienne Garrison lives in Bloomington, Indiana with her husband and three children. She completed her MFA in Creative Writing in 2022 through Pacific University and is currently working on her first novel. Her essays have appeared online and will be published in the forthcoming collaborative book, You're In Good Company: The Gift of Friendship, Motherhood, and Showing Up (Zondervan). Her short stories have been featured in Literary Mama and LETTERS Journal by the Yale School of Divinity. Influenced by the beauty of the Midwestern landscape she calls home and the literary works of Marilynne Robinson, Wendell Berry, and Elizabeth Strout, Adrienne seeks to uncover threads of redemption hiding in every story.
In her role as producer and co-host for the Exhale Creativity Podcast, Adrienne interviews mother-artists to illuminate the beauty they bear in both caregiving and art making. She takes every opportunity to wander in the woods with her three children, explore the world with her husband, and mentor young writers to celebrate their unique voice through creative writing.
beyond the bioHi, I’m Adrienne.
I am a writer. A mother. A tenacious optimist. I believe that creating is an intrinsic part of human flourishing, and that storytelling has the power to inspire change in both fiction and nonfiction.
I cannot seem to keep quiet about the beauty and challenges I see in the world. You can find me working toward racial reconciliation, exploring universal truths in fiction, and chronicling both healing and hardship in my personal essays.
Some random facts about me.
01
The first book that made me want to be a writer was Orlando by Virginia Woolf. It was so immersive and strange that I read it three different ways: first just to enjoy it, then in an attempt to understand it, and finally—to marvel at the mysterious mind behind it.
02
The book I’ve reread the most is Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry. His tender, grounded writing helped me embrace my small-town Midwestern roots. The way he brings Port William to life inspired me to fictionalize my own hometown and the characters I’ve met through the years.
03
One character I see myself in is Lara Nelson from Tom Lake. Ann Patchett’s portrait of motherhood, identity, and the roles we play enchanted and encouraged me. She captured the complexity of womanhood perfectly.
Pro tipAs a mom of three, I’ve learned to steal writing moments wherever I can. My newest trick? Starting a game of “playing school” — I take the role of the furiously typing secretary, while secretly sneaking in a few sentences of my own.
